Paul Graddon 1955 - 2025
It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Paul Graddon, a founder of Child Graddon Lewis, last week. Paul, alongside Simon and Mike, established our practice in the early 1990s following what was thought to be an inauspicious start - Black Wednesday. They were friends and business partners who together built a successful firm over the following decades.
Paul led with compassion, respect, and humour: rare qualities in the often cutthroat world of commercial retail. He was not only a founder but a mentor and friend to many of our past and present colleagues and clients, including every member of the current CGL leadership team.
An inquisitive and imaginative architect, Paul had a rare ability to solve design challenges at every scale—from the intricacies of bespoke joinery to the complexities of megastructures and masterplans. He was a gifted draftsman who approached design with deep seriousness and care. Our end-of-year awards celebrating the craft of drawing, The Graddons, have borne his name since before his retirement.
Paul was known and loved for his dry wit, humility, and soft leadership. Beneath the mischief he stirred in the studio was a quietly reflective man who thought and cared deeply about his work, his clients and his staff. His advice delivered in his inimitable avuncular style was always offered to those clients and colleagues who sought his guidance, and some that didn’t.
He will be profoundly missed—as an architect, a boss, a partner and friend.
